GSLP-Liberals has said that the admission of the GFA into UEFA would be good for the development of football in Gibraltar in its own right, and consistent with “our right as a separate people with our own identity in terms of international recognition.” In a statement issued yesterday they also accuse the Spanish Government of “hypocrisy, double-standards and manipulation,” in claiming that the rejection of the GFA bid to join UEFA, is the result of the application by the international community of established rules.

Meanwhile the Gibraltar Football Association has clarified that the English Football Association did not vote in favour of their application for membership, as was incorrectly claimed by the GSLP on Friday. “The associations which supported our application by show of hands were Scotland, Republic of Ireland and Wales,” Albert Buhagiar GFA vice-president declared yesterday.

A GSLP-Lib spokesman said: “The Spanish Foreign Ministry have said that they are “very happy” that the Gibraltar Football Association was not admitted into UEFA. This is hardly surprising since the outcome has been the result of the action orchestrated under instructions from them.”

“The parallel with their conduct at the United Nations is obvious. Having lobbied at the UN to get South American countries and others to side with them, they then proclaim that the result was the “doctrine” of the international community, when in fact it is no more than the “doctrine” of the Spanish Government on Gibraltar’s decolonisation which they continue to subscribe to.

In this case, the Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos has said that the decision by UEFA was a consequence of the full application of its existing rules. It is clear that Sr Moratinos does not know what he is talking about.”

“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) delivered a judgment which bound UEFA to consider Gibraltar’s application for membership, not in the context of their existing rules, but in the context of the rules that existed at the time when Gibraltar applied. It is well known that when Gibraltar applied, we were perfectly entitled to membership of UEFA in the same way as territories like the Faroe Islands which are not recognised by the United Nations. The rules were changed subsequent to our application in 2001 precisely to ensure that Gibraltar was not eligible for membership.

“The fact that the Spanish Ambassador to Belgrade met with the Serbian Football Association to lobby for a vote against Gibraltar, is indicative of the extent to which Spanish diplomatic pressure has been exerted against Gibraltar. It is deplorable that the UK did not see it fit to counterbalance the campaign by Spain. Indeed, it has now emerged that the even the English FA did not support Gibraltar.”

“It is also complete nonsense for the Spanish to have argued that the accession of Gibraltar would have opened the floodgates to regions of Europe to apply. This is nothing less than deliberate scare-mongering. Any region of Europe that applied for membership after 2001 is not eligible under the present statutes of UEFA.

The difference is that Gibraltar applied before the rule change and that its application was eligible at the time.”“We firmly believe that the admission of the GFA into UEFA would be good for the development of the sport in Gibraltar in its own right, and is entirely consistent with our right as a separate people with our own identity in terms of international recognition.

We will therefore continue to give our wholehearted support at every possible level to the GFA until the objective is achieved. The smug comments made by the Spanish Foreign Ministry and the Spanish media against Gibraltar will come back to haunt them.”

GOMEZ SUPPORTS NUNEZ New Gibraltar Democracy leader Charles Gomez has said he would like to join the whole of Gibraltar in thanking the GFA and “in particular its president Joey Nuñez,” for their brave efforts in the campaign for our football association to be given UEFA membership.

Mr Gomez said: “Thanks are also due to the UK football associations for their support. Unfortunately, the GFA have learnt the hard way that internationally, the “beautiful game” is run by a far from attractive combination of vested interests in both financial and political terms.” “

NGD calls upon the GFA to continue to focus on improving the sport of football locally for the benefit of players, particularly the young. In recent weeks the football teams of places of similar population to Gibraltar have been mentioned many times, namely San Marino, Andorra and Monaco. All those territories have achieved notable triumphs in the field.

Since Gibraltar will not now be competing under UEFA the GFA must work hard at arranging regular fixtures with teams from neighbouring countries such as Spain, Portugal and Morocco and try to get as many UK teams to train here as possible. Government support for this will be required.”“The UEFA rejection should not be seen as a fatal blow to local football but a challenge for the GFA to redouble its efforts to put Gibraltar on the footballing map.”

As some of you might have already read in Werner’s latest journal entry, he recently had the pleasure and privilege of making a new friend in Gib. One evening, whilst dining with a friend (actually his yacht-landlord) at a local restaurant, they met with the owner. André was very keen to hear Werner’s story and every detail about the K4A expedition. At the end of the evening André had offered to sponsor Werner with a satellite phone – some of you will know how elusive this item sponsorship has been, and how we as a support team has felt that it has become an absolute must have for this next leg of the expedition – together with some $700 of air time! Needless to say, Werner was over the moon! However, this is not where the evening ended. André himself has participated in adventure expeditions in an earlier part of his life, and offered to sponsor the manual desalinator as well. This is one expensive piece of equipment and shows André’s appreciation of the value and essential nature of the support equipment. We as a support team are equally appreciative of this contribution!

This as far as equipment goes, but showing his true heart, André committed to a substantial financial contribution when Werner successfully arrives in Durban, South Africa, in aid of the shelter. Until Werner is on the water again, and we trust all the preparations of the last two months will come together in the next two weeks, Werner is having his meals at Andre’s restaurant!

From all of Werner’s supporters, sponsors, volunteers, fans, friends and family, thank you for your involvement André!

Werner is on a marathon kayak from London to Durban (South Africa) in aid of HIV/Aids. HE has already Kayaked from London to Gibraltar. Below is what is to come:

Dates and Distances(Note that dates will change as I can never predict what the weather and sea will do…)•1 Feb 2007Weather permitting I will leave Gib to cross over to for the second time. I hope to paddle the North Moroccan coast in 10 – 15 days before I reach the Algerian Border.•Mid FebEnter Algeria. Algeria should take me roughly 5 weeks to complete. Distance - 1080 km.•Mid MarchEnter Tunisia. The distance is 920 km and my target is 4 weeks.•Mid AprilThis will be the tough one; Libya...The problem here is that there are only 4 marina’s on the 1400 km desert coast and the outrigger should come in handy here. I hope to finish Libya in 7 weeks.•Early JuneEnter Egypt. Egypt will be very tough and warm with only 5 marinas. It is 1800 km in total and I will take a 2 week rest break before continuing from Cairo, as after Cairo it is mostly desert all the way to Djibouti. Total time in Egypt - 11 weeks. (9+2wks)Once in Egypt I will also have to apply for the next batch of visas namely the Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. I do not need visas for Kenya and Mozambique.•Feb 2008I hope to be back in Durban

The Spanish football federation say that they voted against Gibraltar because it is not a nation. If that is the real reason why they, and others, voted against the Rock, then they acted wrongly and illegally.

This is because the requirement that nations only can bid for membership does not apply in the case of Gibraltar, as ruled by the European court of arbitration for sport. Thus, to vote against us for this reason is to act wrongly.

Everyone knows, and so should they, that Gibraltar's application preceded the decision taken by UEFA to try and avoid Gibraltar from qualifying. But the court ruling was that this change in the rules did not apply to Gibraltar.

Anyway, places like Scotland and Wales, which are British but not independent states, are full members of UEFA. Likewise, Gibraltar is perfectly entitled to be allowed into UEFA.

What is really behind the childish Spanish attitude is the official Spanish campaign to take over Gibraltar. It is a political campaign because when the court of arbitration voted in our favour, the Spanish came out saying that they would campaign and lobby to keep Gibraltar out.

When the decision became known on Friday at the UEFA congress, the Spanish government came out saluting the decision.

And the Spanish football federation took pleasure in saying that Gibraltar's dream had crashed.

Did they gloat about it for the love of football?

They have also mentioned the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713. But what has this treaty to do with international football?

Utrecht, anyway, made Gibraltar British forever. Spain can claim what they like, but it is a claim which founders on the rocks of Gibraltar - and they know it.

Hence there are no valid reasons to adopt such a harsh decision against the footballers of Gibraltar and the Gibraltar football association, it being one of the ten oldest football associations in the world, it being entitled and enthusiastic about the game of football and it having complied with all the legal rules in the book.

Clearly, the door remains open to take further appropriate action, and to keep on fighting, until Gibraltar's rightful place in European football is recognised.

Yesterday's decision by UEFA was clearly one of the biggest let downs in Gibraltar's sporting history.

The Spanish FA and Government will be extremely happy with the decision which went against the CAS ruling, which had earlier mediated in the GFA's favour.

SportGibraltar.com would like to thank all those that signed the petition but wouldl ike to emphasise that the fight goes on. We must not allow this setback to stop Gibraltar from taking its rightful place, within the UEFA family.

Gibraltar has every right to membership, even within UEFA's own laws. Spain's might has defeated us this time but we will use the law and moral highground to continue our campaign ensuring that Gibraltar become a UEFA member.

One of our readers from Canada has written to voice his discontent, mentioning:

"I share the obvious disappointment and frustration that all sports lovers must be feeling over the sordid politically motivated action of UEFA - by rejecting the application for membership the UEFA Executive have shown a clear disregard for law and an obsession to involve politics in sport.

How can the politically motivated actions of one vindictive nation in one sport determine the legal rights upheld by the Court of Arbitration?

Keep up the quest - I hope that this is only one more step in a worthwhile journey, a journey that will one day be successful".

GFA’s application to become a full member of Europe’s soccer ruling body was overwhelmingly rejected at the UEFA Congress held yesterday in Dusseldorf. In a show of hands, delegates representing the national federations of 52 countries turned down Gibraltar’s admission. Only the three federations of the United Kingdom voted for the inclusion.And there have been reactions of regret and disappointment at the UEFA decision from the main Opposition GSLP/Liberals, the PDP and Conservative Euro MP Neil Parrish.

In a statement to the Chronicle, a GSLP spokesman accused Spain of carrying out an intense political lobbying campaign to keep Gibraltar out. The international press present at the UEFA Congress also featured the outcome of the GFA application. “In a highly charged political debate,” said the International Herald Tribune, “Spain urged delegates to keep the tiny British colony at the southern edge of Spain out of UEFA.”

The newspaper continued by quoting Spanish federation president Angel Villar who is also a UEFA vice president: “In Spain, this subject carries a huge social and political sensitivity. We don’t want to bring political problems in soccer. We want politicians to solve political problems.”For the Press Association, Gibraltar’s 10-year campaign to become a member of UEFA “has ended in dismal failure.”

After a court challenge, Gibraltar was granted provisional membership of UEFA last month but FIFA ruled Gibraltar’s application for membership on the world governing body could not be granted.In 1999 Spain succeeded in having UEFA change its rules so that members were U.N.-recognized states. Gibraltar’s original application predates this change.Informed sources in Gibraltar yesterday intimated that the application could now be considered dead.

GFA PRESIDENT VOWS TO FIGHT ONEarlier Gibraltar Football Association president Joey Nunez had told the Congress: “Our aim is to enhance and develop football in Gibraltar. These are worthy aims and objectives. The GFA never wanted and did not seek legal confrontation but was left with no other alternative. It is one of the 10 oldest national associations in the world and since it was created in 1895 has organised competitions on its territory.”And he said the fight for official recognition would continue via the courts.“We are very disappointed, especially with regard to the position of the Executive Committee who informed members not to vote for our application. They went completely against the CAS judgements of October 2003 and July 2006. The fight will continue in court.”

VILLAR PROMISES TO HELP GFA Spanish Federation president Angel Villar has said that they would help the Gibraltar Football Association financially and with coach and referee training.“It’s a political issue and since 1713 we have not found a political solution to this situation, because it is so difficult to resolve,” he added. “This is a political problem,” Sr Villar told delegates in an impassioned speech on Friday.

Thanks but no thanks!

SportGibraltar.com would like to voice that Gibraltar has never needed Spain's support and never will. We have our own federation that manages itself very well independently. It will continue to do so and fight with the besieged mentality that has made our nation the proud people that the Gibraltarians are.

The Gibraltar Football Association failed today in its bid to become members of UEFA, the European football governing body.

At a meeting of the UEFA congress held in Dusserdorf (Germany), Gibraltar's application was defeated by 45 votes to 3. There was one abstention.

This will be a harsh setback for Gibraltar which had been campaigning to join UEFA for ten years. It won a court case and was admitted as a provisional member last December. But the Congress had the final word.It is expected that Gibraltar may resort to further legal action to try and put right what it sees as a wrong.

At the UEFA congress in Dusseldorf, the Gibraltar Football Association secured only the three British votes - from the FA and the Scottish and Welsh associations. The Spanish representative said Spain claimed Gibraltar as Spanish.GFA president Joseph Nunez told the Congress that their aim was to enhance and develop football in Gibraltar, highlighting that the GFA was one of the ten oldest national associations in the world.But the Gibraltar application was opposed by Angel Villar, the Spanish federation president. This was that the Spanish government claimed Gibraltar as Spanish. He admitted it was a political issue and referred to the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713."But to add insult to injury he said the Spanish federation would provide financial and coaching help to Gibraltar.

The Gibraltar Opposition said in a statement that "it regrets the decision taken by the national associations of UEFA to reject the application for membership of the Gibraltar Football Association. It is clear that the pressure exerted by the Spanish Government directly, and through the Spanish Football Federation has paid off.The Opposition nonetheless welcomes the support for Gibraltar from the English, Scottish and Welsh Football Associations, who voted in favour of Gibraltar’s membership without being asked to do so by the British Government.

The comments made by the President of the Spanish Football Association Angel Maria Villar add insult to injury. Mr Villar is quoted as having said that “it is a political issue and since 1713 we have not found a political solution to this situation, because it is so difficult to resolve.”Mr Villar should tell us when exactly in 1713 did the football federation start functioning.

The comments made by the Spanish FA President confirm that the objection to Gibraltar’s membership is for political and not for sporting reasons.

The landslide vote against Gibraltar’s membership is a testimony to the intense lobbying campaign that has been conducted by the Spanish Government and the Spanish football authorities, and reflects the inactivity of the British Government to do anything to counteract it.The Opposition adds: "It puts paid to any suggestion that Spain’s approach to Gibraltar has changed radically from what it has been in the past and it confirms that we can expect them to do the same as they have done with UEFA on any other issue, which they think adds strength to our claim to be a separate people with our own identity."

The PDP party says it is dismayed to note the initial reports emerging from the UEFA Congress that Gibraltar’s application for membership has been turned down.

Even though the GFA put forward a potent case for membership on purely sporting grounds and had the support of successive rulings from the Court of Arbitration for Sport it appears that, notwithstanding this, Spanish political objections have intervened to frustrate our sportsmen’s reasonable request for membership. There is little of the supposed new climate of warmth and understanding from Spain in their attitude.

The PDP is thoroughly disappointed at this and pledges its continuing support to GFA in any further attempts it makes to overturn an eminently unjust decision.

'Petty Spanish behaviour," says MEP

"This decision is outrageous and just goes to show how UEFA is dominated by politics," said Neil Parrish MEP on hearing the news about the UEFA development."Spain has acted like a jealous spoilt child over the application. It should settle its differences on the football pitch, not in the legal and political arena.

"Yet again the citizens of Gibraltar are being made to suffer by the petty, vindictive.

Do you have an opinion or would you like to voice your concerns? Click here to do so.

Rhodes will host the NatWest Island Games XII from June 30 to July 6, 2007. Work has begun and is progressing at a rapid pace in preparation for the Games. In the past, Rhodes has successfully organised many world and international sports events, but this will be the largest in part due to the staging of fourteen different sports simultaneously.

Click here to view the member countries and their corresponding statistics.

And the MASCOT of the NatWest Island Games XII Rhodes 2007 is……….

“RHODELIOS”!!! “Rhodelios” is a little deer. It was chosen as a mascot because of the deer “Platoni”, a species of deer that lives in the woods of Rhodes. Its scientific name is Dama Dama and Rhodes is hosting one of the few wild indigenous populations. Therefore, it became one of the symbols of Rhodes. It is presented in the entrance of Rhodes harbor, one of the most known spots of the island.

The design of the mascot was made by the young artist Nikos Spartalis and the name Rhodelios was proposed by pupils from a 6th Grade Primary School, after a contest that was organised by the Organising Committee Rhodes 2007, including all Primary schools of Rhodes!

“RHODELIOS” comes from the words RHODES and ELIOS (which means sun). This name refers to RHODES the Host Island of the NatWest Island Games XII Rhodes 2007 and the SUN which is also a symbol of the Island, due to the fact that the sun is shining 340 days a year!

“RHODELIOS” our mascot invites you to come to Rhodes and experience the NatWest Island Games XII Rhodes 2007 where 2700 athletes from 25 Islands world wide will compete in 14 different sports!!!!!

The following sports will be included in this year's competition:

Click here to view the full schedule of events, with dates and times included.

SPORT (click for more info)Short DescriptionArcheryArchery, a relatively new sport in Rhodes, is developing rapidly, all due to Rhodes participation in the NatWest Island Games.AthleticsRhodes has a long history in track and field, with many of its athletes participating in World and European Championships, as well as in the Olympic Games.BasketballThis is a very popular sport amongst the youth of the Island, with many fans.CyclingA popular sport with a storied past. NatWest Island Games will host the four disciplines: Time Trial, Road Race, Mountain Bike, and Town Centre Criterium.FootballFootball is very popular in both Greece and Rhodes, and the Island has many teams each with a dedicated following.GolfThe competition will be staged at the Afandou Golf Course, a beautiful location set adjacent to the sea and amongst the olive groves.JudoJudo a popular sport in Rhodes, will be held in the brand new "Pythagoras Indoor Hall".SailingSailing is very popular in Rhodes, being an island with and abundance of sun, sea and strong winds. NatWest Island Games will host the Laser and Windsurfing disciplines.ShootingHunting has always been a very popular pastime in Rhodes, and lately competition shooting has also become popular. NatWest Island Games will host the three disciplines, Clay Target, Pistols and Air Guns.SwimmingA popular sport amongst all ages, we take particular pride in our swimming pool, a unique location set in the town centre adjacent to the sea.Table Tennis A sport with a long history, it has recently been revived, in part due to participation in the NatWest Island Games.TennisA popular sport in Rhodes, which in the past has developed national and international calibre players.TriathlonA perfect location for Triathlons, with and abundance of sea, sun, and picturesque locations.VolleyballA popular sport with a long history, NatWest Island Games will host both Indoor Volleyball and Beach Volley.

Gibraltar’s application for full membership of football’s governing body in Europe will be the 16th and final item on the agenda at the 31st UEFA Congress that opens in Dusseldorf today. It will be up to the Congress — Europe’s football parliament, and the supreme controlling organ of UEFA — to ratify membership or reject the application. The result will not be known until tomorrow afternoon.

In answer to questions, sources close to UEFA said that Gibraltar’s application was a “sensitive” issue that had put the organisation “in a difficult spot,” but added that Gibraltar’s Football Association had the legal right to pursue its claim.The Rock obtained provisional membership in December of last year following a CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) ruling to that effect.

UEFA said then that it had no choice but to admit Gibraltar on a provisional basis, but also took note of an unprecedented statement by FIFA that intervened in the matter, saying that the GFA application would be rejected in January because the Rock “did not comply with statutory requirements for admission as a member of FIFA, as it is not a state recognised by the United Nations.”

This is challenged by the GFA on the basis that the rule in question was introduced after Spanish machinations to block their original application, filed in the late 1990’s.

Spain objects to Gibraltar’s admissión since it fears repercussions that Basques and Catalans will move to secede from the Spanish federation and form their own ‘national’ selections.

PLATINI V JOHANSSON Meanwhile the sessions will be dominated by elections to the presidency of UEFA where former French star Michel Platini, will be challenging the ageing incumbent Lennart Johansson.

The Gibraltar case is also relevant to the presidency election as Platini has already said that he does not want Gibraltar as a UEFA member. Lennart Johansson, on th eother hand, showed his support for the Gibraltar cause by replying to SportGibraltar.com's petition and ensured that the Executive Committee were made aware of the people of Gibraltar's wishes.

There will also be competition for outgoing posts in the executive committee and for the European seats in the FIFA executive.

Montenegro, who are also provisional members, will also be applying for full membership.

A UEFA spokesman added: “An ordinary Congress is held every year, and is attended by representatives of UEFA’s 52 member associations. The UEFA Executive Committee has the power to make decisions on all matters which do not fall within the legal or statutory jurisdiction of the Congress or any other organ.”

“The UEFA Congress, the UEFA Executive Committee and the UEFA CEO Office within the European body’s administration form the hub of UEFA’s activities at the highest level. It is at these levels that key sporting and political decisions are taken. for the well-being of both UEFA and European football.”

PDP BACKS GFAOpposition party PDP yesterday said it backs the GFA application at the UEFA congress.

Spokeswoman Rosemary Peach said: “UEFA meets this week and is expected to take a final view on the GFA’s application for admission to that international football association. The application has wide support across all sectors and groups in our community. Politics should not play any part in the decision as to whether Gibraltar should be allowed to enter into UEFA. However, a common sense and fair approach has not previously been deployed by Spain that has sought to argue the most indefensible points in relation to this matter. It is appalling to note the lengths that Spain is willing to go to, to prevent the GFA’s entry. This is evidenced by recent reports in the press that Spain has purportedly coerced Serbia into voting against Gibraltar’s entry. Whilst this may not surprise anyone, it certainly does not bode well for the newly found so–called climate of new relations between the UK, Spain and Gibraltar and will add nothing positive to local views on the subject.”

“As the GFA have made clear, entry into UEFA is of great importance to the development of football at grass roots level and the application should be analysed dispassionately on its merits and because of the purely sporting benefits it will bring to the local sporting community and their families. The PDP would like to express their full support to the GFA and particularly the GFA President with his presentation at the forthcoming UEFA Congress meeting. The Party very much hopes that politics will be set aside and common sense will prevail.”

to be held at The Central Hall, North Pavilion Road, Gibraltar on Saturday 17th March 2007(The day after the Torremolinos Open Finals)

WHATS NEW THIS YEAR In its 4th consecutive year the Gibraltar Open is set to be played in an improved venue and apart from the Winmau places on offer for both Men & Ladies winners, this year it is also ranked by the World Darts Federation.

GIBRALTAR could be a fully fledged member of UEFA by the weekend, allowing the tiny nation the chance to compete on football's international stage.

But that could lead to future match boycotts by Spain, which has repeatedly lodged appeals against Gibraltar's application as it refuses to recognise the Rock's sovereignty.

Neil Parish, Conservative MEP for south west England and Gibraltar, recently met with UEFA chief executive Lars Christer-Olsson, to plead for a fair hearing at the 31st UEFA Congress, which meets at the end of the week in Dusseldorf.

Parish said: “Gibraltar deserves the chance to play European football. UEFA’s decision must be about sport and not politics.

“Spain is still exploiting every opportunity it has to make a cheap point about sovereignty. Frankly, I thought Spain had grown out of these childlike games which just make Gibraltarians begrudge them even more.

“Spain should try to beat Gibraltar on the football pitch, not in a courtroom using obscure procedures.

“This week marks the culmination of a huge amount of effort from so many people. Their efforts must not be frustrated by another 11th hour letdown.”

Opposition voice their opinions about the GFA's application:

The Opposition condemns the Spanish Government for its continued opposition to full membership of UEFA for the Gibraltar Football Association.

It has now become known that Serbia will be voting against the GFA following a meeting between the Spanish Ambassador to that country and its football authorities.

There have been indications that the Serbians were influenced by the prospect of Kossovo applying to become a member in the future.

Given the level of lobbying against the GFA being orchestrated by Madrid, the United Kingdom should use its Ambassador to Serbia to lobby its football authorities in favour of Gibraltar’s application. However, it is clear that the British Government has no intention of doing this. Indeed, in answer to questions in Parliament they confirmed that they are not even going to lobby the English FA itself.

The Opposition consider that, judging from past experience, the involvement by the Spanish Government must be the tip of the iceberg. In the past, and in relation to other issues, Spain has mobilised its network of ambassadors in different countries in order to undermine the position of Gibraltar.

The continued obsession of Madrid to exclude Gibraltar’s footballers from Europe is totally unacceptable, whether or not the Gibraltar Football Association is admitted to UEFA should be a sporting matter and not a political matter.

The fact is that at the time when Gibraltar applied for membership, we met all the necessary criteria. Subsequent rule changes to allow only countries recognised by the United Nations to be admitted were deliberately orchestrated under pressure from the Spanish Government in order to keep Gibraltar out.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has already ruled that Gibraltar’s application must be considered in the context of the rules that existed at the time of the application.

Following this ruling, the Spanish Football Federation, on instructions from the Spanish Government, came up with the argument that Gibraltar’s sporting facilities (the Victoria Stadium) is built on disputed land. This is something that the Opposition totally reject.

The Opposition consider that were it not for the continued interference of the Spanish Government, UEFA would have accepted Gibraltar as a full member a long time ago. At the same time, it is quite incredible that Gibraltar cannot even depend on the United Kingdom to defend us in a matter of sport and where there is a court ruling in our favour.

ANDY HAMILTON The Stoke star overcame Andy Smith, Roland Scholten, Terry Jenkins and Alan Warriner-Little on his way to the final.

There, he took the first five legs without reply against the former World Number One, to put himself 2-0 up and within touching distance of the win.

Lloyd hit back to stay in the match on double four and then matched Hamilton blow for blow - the pair began with 180s - to win the deciding leg of the third set.

A third maximum of the game gave Hamilton the edge in the first leg of set four, which he won on double eight, and he then sealed the £5,000 first prize on double 16 after Lloyd missed two darts at double top.

Lloyd avenged Saturday's loss to Adrian Lewis in the quarter-finals with a victory at the same stage 24 hours later, and he overcame Colin Osborne in the semi-finals.

Michael van Gerwen ended Raymond van Barneveld's winning run with a superb 3-0 victory over the World Champion.

The 17-year-old had inflicted van Barneveld's last defeat - in a Players Championship in Holland last November - and dropped only one leg in repeating the feat against Saturday's winner.

The young Dutchman was eventually beaten by on-song Alan Warriner-Little, who enjoyed a run to the last four and also defeated Gary Welding, Wayne Mardle and John Part on the day.

Gibraltar's Mr table tennis, Eugene Pons has recently been in contact with SportGibraltar.com to inform us about the progress of some of Gibraltar's future senior players.

Table tennis (also colloquially and commonly known as ping pong) is a sport where two or four players hit a ball back and forth to each other with paddles. The game takes place on a table divided by a net. Players must allow a ball played towards them only one bounce on their side of the table and must return it so that it bounces on the opponent’s side. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. A skilled player can impart spin to the ball, which makes its bounce and its reaction on the opponent's bat difficult to predict or return with confidence.

Table tennis is very popular in East Asia and is the most popular sport in the world in terms of player numbers, as well as one of the newest of the major sports. Despite its relativly recent introduction, table tennis has been in existence for a long time and continues to attract the interest of many local athletes.

The following are some of the results from the junior events:

The Singles League Was Played Over The Months October - December.

Under 12 Competition

1st Suheil Harjani2nd Camille LavagnaOver 12 Under 16 Competition

1st Stephan Lopez2nd Meenal Viz

No Other Age Groups Were Played Due To Lack Of Attendance.

The Doubles Competition Will Now Start In February And We Request Those Wishing To Take Part To Attend The Victoria Stadium On Tuesdays As From 1800 Hrs.

The Dutchman (pictured right) has now won three successive tournaments, adding to his triumphs in the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship and Blue Square UK Open North-East Regional Final with another imperious display on Saturday.

Van Barneveld dropped just three legs in a high-quality final, opening up a two-set lead before Lewis raised his game to win the third and stay in the match.

The World Champion showed his quality by winning the fourth set 2-0 to claim another title and the £5,000 first prize.

He overcame Dave Honey and local player Juan Antono Cea Mouna in straight sets, before defeating Mick McGowan, Barrie Bates, Wayne Mardle and Ronnie Baxter to reach the final.

Lewis, who was named as the eighth and final player for the 2007 Holsten Premier League Darts this week, edged out Colin Lloyd on his route to the final, and was a 3-1 winner against Peter Manley in the semis.

Michael van Gerwen, Vincent van der Voort and Jelle Klaasen all made good impressions on their first appearances since joining the PDC last week.

Van Gerwen defeated Andy Hamilton on his way to the last 16, with van der Voort falling at the same stage to Lewis, while Klaasen reached the last 32 before a defeat to Manley.

The StanJames.com Players Championship will take place on Sunday at the Queensway Club.

Seven Gibraltarians were in action but all fell at the first hurdle. The local players are highlighted below: